Marik and Eve
by Regina the Queen of Random
Summary: Marik had a very devoted servant, who gave him knowledge of Yugi and his friends. Her name was Eve, but she was wanted by another villain...
1. A Good Girl

Queen of Random: Hey guys, 'tis the Queen of Random! Actually, my penname is 'The True Queen of Random', but that is only that because somebody else has the name 'The Queen of Random'. How stink is that? I mean, I've been called that for so long now, and I find that there is somebody else out there with that name! Ah, well. . . what was I saying? Ah, yes! You may remember me from such fanfictions as 'When Road Trips go Bad because Random Bus Drivers Attack! (With Helpfulness!)' and. . . actually, that's the only one I've helped write. Under this name at least. He he he.  
  
Okay, now before I get this story on the road, I'd better explain a few things. First of all, I do not own anything that has to do with Yu-Gi-Oh!. At all. I'm poor, okay?! Well, in this country at least. Once I get back home to Randomland then I will be queen once again!  
  
Second, this story began when my friend, Deemma_4w (if you recognise the name, she's the person I write that X-Men: Evolution road trip story with), and I went to this Pulp Culture Expo. Anyway, Jonathon Ross, the guy who does the voice of Marik, was there, and well, we spent the next couple of hours harassing him. Especially about what he had eaten for breakfast. But the thing I regret most is not having a tape recorder. I mean, how many times in your life do you hear Marik sing 'Baby got Back' or say to me, 'I know I may be pure evil, but I know we can make this work'? Anyway, that phrase (the pure evil one, not the song! Although that did give me a big confidence boost!) was the inspiration for this story. Well, that phrase and a weird as MSN conversation I had with a friend of Deemma_4w's, who also wants to take over the world.  
  
Third, congrats to Deemma_4w, who won the DVD player at the Expo!  
  
Fourth, any section of writing in this fic that is sectioned off with [] is a memory. In the original, I did those in italics, but they don't seem to do that on this site. If they have, I haven't figured it out, so if you know how, tell me, and I'll fix it.  
  
And last, but not least, my friends and I have discovered the true reason why Marik is so angry. And remember, this comes straight from Jonathon Ross, in Marik's voice. This is what he said:  
  
'I HAVE SAND IN MY UNDERPANTS!'  
  
Marik and Eve  
  
Chapter One: A Good Girl  
  
Eve Sandler was a good girl.  
  
She always listened, gave good advice, never said anything that might hurt anyone, and was always the top of her class. She did not even react when Joey Wheeler threw paper aeroplanes at her when she was at school.  
  
Eve Sandler was a good girl.  
  
But that did not mean that she did not have a secret or two of her own.  
  
"Do you think something's wrong with Eve?" asked Yugi.  
  
"Now that I think about it, yeah," agreed Joey. "Ever since she won that trip to Egypt, she's been all. . ."  
  
"Secretive?" asked Téa.  
  
"That's the word."  
  
"I agree," said Yugi. "She's stopped talking, too. I heard that she hardly speaks now, and only when spoken to."  
  
"She's become a shadow, don't you think?"  
  
Listening in, Eve had to smile. If only they knew the whole truth. But they would not.  
  
Because Eve Sandler was a good girl.  
  
*  
  
Eve ignored her mother and went straight to her room after school. Once inside, she shut the door, and waited. Once she felt that presence in her mind, she smiled.  
  
"Greetings, master."  
  
"What do you have to tell me?" ordered the voice in her mind.  
  
"Nothing further, master. He is unaware of your existence, and your awesome power."  
  
"That is not good enough!"  
  
"Forgive me, master!" pleaded Eve. "I can do nothing until your glorious plan comes to fruition! Forgive me!"  
  
"Very well," said the voice. "You are far too useful to be destroyed."  
  
Eve smiled at the comment. "Thank you, master."  
  
"But be warned. If you fail me again, I will take complete control of your mind."  
  
"I understand. I will not fail you again, no matter what the cost."  
  
Eve waited for an answer. There was none.  
  
Alone in her head once more, Eve sighed. He had left her again, and she was sad. She had been like this ever since she had gone to Egypt as part of a scholarship system. She had seen so many wonderful and amazing things, and she knew she would never forget them.  
  
But Egypt was where she had met. . . him.  
  
Her lord, her master, the one she lived to serve. Now she knew that she had been born for the sole purpose of serving and worshipping him. The others who also served him did not realise how fortunate they were to have heard of him, let alone serve him.  
  
Eve worshipped her master.  
  
No, she loved him.  
  
She loved him with a burning, all-consuming passion. She would give her life to help him, and her very soul to be near him.  
  
But she was not near him.  
  
He was in Egypt. And she was not.  
  
And that was why she cried.  
  
*  
  
In Egypt, Eve's master sat still. His name was Marik, and he was the possessor of the Millennium Rod. Letting go of Eve's mind, he lowered the Rod which had allowed him to contact her.  
  
"Odion!" he ordered. "Leave me here in peace!"  
  
Odion bowed. "As you wish, master."  
  
Once Odion was gone, Marik's violet eyes surveyed his chamber. The hieroglyphs on the wall brought back memories of the girl who had become one of his most devoted servants.  
  
Especially the first time he saw her.  
  
[Eve wandered the marketplace, ignoring the stares of many of the locals. She was not concerned with them, all she cared about were the remnants of the ancient civilization that surrounded her. The pyramids, the statues, the gods. . . they all invoked images of wonder, and they fascinated her.  
  
Marik, too, was wandering the marketplace, but unlike Eve, he had no real reason for doing so. He had become used to the wonders of the upper world, and they no longer captured his attention.  
  
But something did capture his attention. The figure of a girl, bending down over the objects for sale at a stall. The first thing he saw was her hair. It was the colour of fire - the colour of life. Then he sensed something emanating from her.  
  
Power. Pure and absolute.  
  
Marik smiled.  
  
Eve did not notice that anyone was there until he was right beside her. "Oh! You startled me."  
  
"I'm sorry," said the young man.  
  
Eve looked at him. He was only a little older than she was, and a little taller, too. His long hair was a very pale blonde, a blonde so pale it appeared almost white. The man's violet eyes held her attention. "I'm Eve," she said, extending a hand.  
  
"Namu," he answered, taking the hand. "You're not from around here, are you?"  
  
Eve shook her head. "No. I'm a tourist. What about you?"  
  
"I'm a local. I've lived here all my life, and my family has lived here for generations. I know," he added, laughing, "I don't look it."  
  
"Well, then," said Eve. "If you are a local, you might be able to tell me what I should visit around here. There are so many things to see, but I only have a little time to do everything in. It's quite sad, as I love this place already."  
  
"How long have you been here?"  
  
"I arrived last night."  
  
"Well, then," said Namu, smiling. "Perhaps I should show you around."  
  
"This is so amazing!" breathed Eve, once she saw the secrets of an underground chamber Namu had shown her.. "How do you know of this place?" Eve flipped open a book that she had had in her bag and looked at it by the light of her torch. "These hieroglyphs are unlike the ones I have seen in my books." She ran a gentle hand over the wall, learning the shapes of the carvings. "Is this the Eye of Horus?" she asked, looking at an eye carved into the wall.  
  
"No," answered Namu, but not in the voice that he had been using. This voice was harsher, and when Eve turned around, Namu's face had also changed. Like his voice, his eyes had become cold. "That is the Millennium Symbol."  
  
"The what?"  
  
"The Millennium Symbol. It marks the seven Millennium Items," answered Namu.  
  
"What are the Millennium Items, and what is wrong with you, Namu?" asked Eve, her voice worried now. She was alone in an underground chamber with a stranger, and nobody knew where she was.  
  
"My name is not Namu. It is Marik," he answered. "And this is my Millennium Rod." Namu, or rather, Marik, produced from behind his back a golden sceptre, and on it was the Eye of Horus, no, the Millennium Symbol.  
  
"How old is that?" asked Eve.  
  
"Several thousand years old."  
  
Eve's eyes widened. "Something like that should be in a museum!"  
  
"Perhaps," said Marik. "But being in possession of a Millennium Item affords me. . . certain advantages. The Millennium Rod, for example, allows me to control minds weaker than my own." Marik pointed the Rod at Eve, and she collapsed.] 


	2. Closer than a Friend

Queen of Random: Hey, guys, chapter two is here! Do you want to know something? My friend, Deemma_4w, says that Eve reminds her of Jean Grey from X-Men: Evolution. Well, that's just a coincidence. Eve has red hair because red is a colour not really seen in places like Egypt, and in some places it is the colour of power and magic. Has anyone read 'Under the Mountain' by Maurice Gee? The twins had red hair, and it was the symbol of their power. So there, Deemma_4w.  
  
Oh, yeah. There was another reason why she had red hair, and that's because I have not seen a character on Yu-Gi-Oh! with red hair. Brown, blonde, white, even purple, but no red. And Eve also has green eyes, but that is because most people with red hair have green eyes. When I thought of Eve, I was actually thinking of a short Nicole Kidman. Huh.  
  
Lastly, I own nothing, not Jean Grey, X-Men: Evolution, Yu-Gi-Oh!, Under the Mountain, or Nicole Kidman.  
  
Chapter Two: Closer than a Friend  
  
Eve woke up the next morning ready to go. She had stayed up all night working on a plan to please Marik.  
  
"'Bye, Mom!" she called as she ran out of the house. "Don't worry about my breakfast!"  
  
Eve got on her bike, and began riding down the road to the game shop she knew was owned by Yugi's grandfather.  
  
Once she was inside, she went to the back of the shop, and began looking around. She wanted to be discreet, but with hair like hers, it was hard to do so.  
  
"Hey, Eve, is that you?" called a voice.  
  
Eve turned. "Téa, hi. What are you doing here?"  
  
Téa smiled. "I'm here to see Yugi. What about you?"  
  
Before Eve could answer, an old man who bore an uncanny resemblance to Yugi came from out the back of the store. "Oh, hello Téa. Are you here to see Yugi?"  
  
"Yes, I am. Is he here?"  
  
"Yes, he is. I'll go get him if you want."  
  
"Thanks," said Téa.  
  
While they were waiting, Eve asked Téa, "Are you meeting Joey and Tristan here?"  
  
"Yes." The door to the shop opened. "Oh! There they are!"  
  
"Joey, Tristan, hi," said Eve.  
  
"Hey, Eve," said Tristan. "What are you doing here?"  
  
"I didn't know that you were into Duel Monsters," remarked Joey. He looked at a point behind Eve. "Hey, Yugi."  
  
"Hey, guys," said Yugi. "Ready to go? Oh, hey, Eve. What are you doing here? I didn't know that you were into Duel Monsters."  
  
Eve had to smile. So naive. "I'm not, but I have a friend who is addicted to the game, and it's his birthday soon. I heard that your grandfather had the best shop in town, and so I just had to check it out."  
  
"Why, thank you, young lady," said Mr Motou, coming back. "Yugi, aren't you going to introduce me to your friend?"  
  
"Oh! Sorry, Grampa. This is Eve Sandler. She's a student at our school."  
  
"Nice to meet you," said Eve. "Do you have any suggestions? I don't know a thing about Duel Monsters."  
  
"How about an autograph from the Duellist who came second at Duellists' Kingdom?" asked Joey, leaning on Eve's shoulder.  
  
"Oh, come on, Joey," said Tristan, pulling him away. "There's no way that Eve would want to give that to her friend."  
  
But Eve clapped her hands. "That's a great idea! My friend flipped out when I told him that the Joey Wheeler throws stuff at me at school, and he will be ranting for weeks if I did get him that autograph. Could I really have one for him?"  
  
"Of course you can," said Joey, beaming. "But it's gonna cost you."  
  
"Joey!" reprimanded Téa. "How about two autographs? You can't have forgotten that Yugi here won Duellists' Kingdom, right?"  
  
"Would that be okay, Yugi? I don't want to put you out. If it is a problem I can just buy him some more cards - I brought money for that."  
  
Yugi smiled, his large purple eyes lit up with something that Eve could only call innocence. "Of course you can have my autograph," he said. "Now, what would you like me and Joey to sign?"  
  
"Why not a poster?" suggested Mr Motou. "I think I have one of those from Duellists' Kingdom. Excuse me," he finished, going back to the rear of the store. After a short while he returned, a poster and pen in his hand. "Here you go, Eve."  
  
"Thank you," said Eve, smiling. She unrolled the poster. "Wow! This will be perfect. How much do I owe you?"  
  
"Come on, Grampa," said Yugi. "Give her a good deal!"  
  
"How can I argue with someone as pretty as you?" asked Mr Motou.  
  
"Oh, gee, Grampa," said Joey. "I didn't know you felt that way about me. Ow! Tristan!"  
  
Eve covered her mouth with her hand, muffling her giggles, as did Téa. "Joey!"  
  
"What?! All right, where do I sign?"  
  
Eve stood back and watched as first Joey, then Yugi, signed the poster. Yugi had to struggle to find a place that Joey's signature had not covered. After that, she paid Mr Motou what she owed him and thanked Joey and Yugi.  
  
"Thank you so much," she gushed. "I don't know what I would have done if you guys hadn't come to my rescue. Thank you."  
  
"Hey, it was no problem, right Yug?"  
  
"No problem at all," said Yugi.  
  
Eve looked at her watch. "Oh no! I'm late! I was supposed to have started packing by now!"  
  
"Packing?" asked Téa.  
  
Eve smiled. "I'm going back to Egypt. The friend this is for," she held up the poster, which had been rolled up, "lives there. He invited me to come back and visit him for his birthday."  
  
"When does your flight leave?" asked Tristan.  
  
"Tomorrow morning. Thank you so much!" repeated Eve.  
  
"Have a good trip," said Téa.  
  
"You must show us your photographs," added Yugi.  
  
Mr Motou nodded. "Yes. It's been such a long time since I last was in Egypt."  
  
"You've been to Egypt?" asked Eve. Mr Motou nodded. "Then I will have to show you my photos," replied Eve, smiling. "But that will have to wait until next week, when I get back. 'Bye!" With that, Eve left the shop.  
  
"And you thought there was something wrong with Eve, Yug." 


	3. The Faithful Servant

Queen of Random: Hey, all! It's time to add the next chapter for 'Marik and Eve'. If anyone can actually think of a better title than that, let me know, because that one is kinda unoriginal. I was originally going for 'The Fight for Evil Slave Girl', but. . . no. So I stuck with 'Marik and Eve'.  
  
By the way, this story is actually finished, and I'm just slack in putting up the chapters. I'm actually doing two things at a time: finish the fic I have put another chapter up in (it's called 'Beauty and the Beast', and it's an X-Men: Evolution story. It's about Hank McCoy, a.k.a. the Beast), and I've just started the sequel to this story, so if you feel this story is kinda unresolved, then wait a little while, and the sequel will show up. Eventually.  
  
Chapter Three: The Faithful Servant  
  
She is coming, thought Marik. She is coming back to me. My faithful servant.  
  
Marik lay in his bed in his underground chamber. The sun had set long ago, but he could not sleep. Eve, one of his most loyal and faithful servants was returning to him. And, hopefully, she was bringing him more information about Yugi Motou, the boy who possessed the Millennium Puzzle.  
  
But when he did manage to go to sleep, he dreamed of her.  
  
[Eve opened her eyes, to see nothing but darkness. "Hello? Is there someone there?" And then something flashed before her. A memory of Namu, the guy she had thought was so nice, raising a gold object towards her, and then everything going dark.  
  
"No, not Namu," she whispered to herself. "Marik."  
  
"That is correct," said a voice.  
  
"Hello? Please, help me?!" called Eve desperately.  
  
The soft glow of a candle lit up the room, but the corners had not completely been dispelled of darkness. The flickering light lit up the face of a man, and Eve cringed.  
  
"Stay away!" she pleaded. "Don't hurt me!"  
  
The man's eyes were sad when Eve shrank back. His head was almost completely shaved of hair, except for one lock. A part of Eve recognised this as being an ancient style of the Egyptians. But the thing that had frightened her was the tattoo that covered part of one side of his face, including the eye.  
  
"Who are you?" she asked, her voice shaking.  
  
"My name is Odion. I serve Marik."  
  
"What do you mean?"  
  
"I serve Marik," repeated Odion. "And so will you."  
  
Eve was silent for a moment. Then she summoned the courage to ask, "Why am I here? And where is here?"  
  
"Marik has chosen you, although I do not know why. All I know is that he ordered me to bring you to him, if you were awake." Odion's voice was sympathetic. "Come with me," he said, turning back to the doorway.  
  
Somehow Eve managed to get up, and in the back of her mind she realized that she had been lying on a bed. Then she followed Odion out of the room, and into a chamber bathed with light.]  
  
Eve sighed as the plane lifted off the ground. The sooner the plane started on its flight, the sooner she would be at his side. At Marik's side.  
  
"So slow, so slow," she whispered to herself, quiet enough so that the man sitting next to her did not hear her. "I'm coming, master," she whispered. She did not say anything else, because her thoughts returned to the time when she had first learned of Marik's true nature and his goals.  
  
[The first thing Eve saw when she entered the chamber was Marik. He was no longer dressed in the normal clothes she had seen him in, but was instead wearing a long purple robe with a golden eye on it. The Millennium Symbol, she remembered.  
  
"I am sorry," whispered Odion. Then he left the chamber. Eve was alone with Marik.  
  
"Come!" ordered Marik. Slowly Eve moved forwards. "Closer!"  
  
Eve found herself right in front of Marik. She somehow found the courage to say, "You have kidnapped me. What do you want with me? If it's money, then- "  
  
"Silence! I do not want your money."  
  
"Then what do you want?"  
  
Marik looked at Eve. She was drawn in by his violet eyes. She had never seen eyes quite like that. It took her a few seconds to realise where she was. "I want you," said Marik.  
  
He rose from his throne-like chair, and walked to Eve. He circled her several times, and Eve couldn't keep herself from feeling as though she was being inspected.  
  
"Me?" asked Eve through teeth clenched tight to prevent them from chattering. "What could I do for you?"  
  
"Plenty," answered Marik, smiling. He stopped walking around her, and stood right in front of Eve. He raised the Millennium Rod again, and Eve's eyes were drawn to the sparkling sceptre.  
  
*  
  
The few days passed by very quickly for Eve, but by then, Eve was no longer the same person she had been at the beginning of her holiday. Everything about her was different; her green eyes now held a quality that was just like Marik's; her long red curls no longer hung free around her face, but was held back with a gold ring - a gift from Marik, which she treasured. Her clothes, too, had changed, from shorts and a T-shirt, to a long white dress, just like those worn by the Ancient Egyptians, but with one difference. She wore a long purple cloak with a gold eye on it. But she was no Rare Hunter. Eve had very little knowledge of the game of Duel Monsters. Marik had chosen her for a very different purpose.  
  
"What do you know of the boy named Yugi Motou?" asked Marik one day.  
  
Eve looked up at Marik, from her position curled up at his feet. She would sit there for hours, just in front of Marik's throne. "Why, master?"  
  
"What do you know about him?!"  
  
Eve looked down. She had done wrong to anger Marik, and that was what she had been trying to avoid. "He is a student at my school."  
  
"Does he have any weaknesses?"  
  
"His friends, master. If you were to threaten them, he would be very easy to bend to your will. Why do you want to know, master? Does he have a rare card that you want?"  
  
"Not a card. He has something else that I desire."] 


	4. Love's First Touch

Chapter Four: Love's First Touch  
  
As the plane touched down, a part of Eve soared. She went through customs in a dream-like state, but none of the officials paid much attention to her. Everything was in order, so they did not detain the young red-head.  
  
Once outside the airport, Eve waited for her ride to Marik. One of the Rare Hunters was supposed to pick her up. "Where is he?" she asked, tapping her foot with impatience.  
  
"The Rare Hunter is not coming," hissed a voice.  
  
"Who's there?" demanded Eve. "Show yourself!"  
  
"Why should I do that?" asked the voice. "That would spoil my fun."  
  
Eve realised that the voice was female, and that it was not coming by way of a Millennium Item. "Who are you, and what do you want with me?!"  
  
"I am not going to tell you, Eve. All I want to know is this: Where is Marik?"  
  
Eve did not answer.  
  
"Tell me where he is!"  
  
"Never!"  
  
"Then," whispered the voice, "I will ask you later. But be warned. I am far more powerful than your precious Marik."  
  
Eve stood there, trembling. Who - or what - was that? How did it know her name? Was the voice really female, or some trick of her mind?  
  
"Madam Eve?" asked a voice.  
  
Eve turned. Behind her was a Rare Hunter. "You are late," she said.  
  
"Yes, madam. Please forgive me. I will take you to Master Marik immediately."  
  
"Do that," Eve ordered.  
  
*  
  
[Marik watched as Eve took command of some of the Rare Hunters. She had been ordered by Marik to oversee some of his experiments with forgeries of Duel Monster cards. He was not surprised when she showed no sign of panic when one of the Rare Hunters was destroyed.  
  
"He was weak!" she announced to the remaining Rare Hunters. "He was weak, and so was not worthy of such power! Only those who are truly loyal to our great master will be rewarded! And those who are not," she added, "will be destroyed!"  
  
Marik was pleased with Eve. No, with himself. He had done such a good job moulding her, that the original Eve had almost never existed. This Eve was truly remarkable: cold, cruel, and beautiful, perhaps even more so than she had been when she had first arrived. Marik had done well. And Eve was going to be the servant closest to Yugi Motou.]  
  
*  
  
As soon as she entered the chamber, Eve threw herself at Marik's feet. "I have returned, master. Forgive this unworthy servant if she has displeased you."  
  
"I do not forgive," said Marik.  
  
Eve looked up, and smiled coldly. "Of course, master."  
  
"Come!" ordered Marik, leaving the chamber. "You have missed much during your absence. And tell me, what more have you learned of the boy's weaknesses?"  
  
Eve smiled again, and hurried to catch up to her master.  
  
*  
  
Marik was pleased.  
  
Eve had brought back more information about Yugi Motou and his friends. Not just Yugi's weaknesses, but his friends' as well. Joey Wheeler, in particular, would be easily influenced.  
  
But for now, all that he was concerned about, was the return of Eve.  
  
*  
  
["Master," said Eve quietly one evening. "It is almost time for me to return home."  
  
"Home?" asked Marik. "This is your home now."  
  
"Yes, master. But people will be suspicious if I do not return. Besides, I live not far from Yugi Motou. Perhaps I would be in a better position to help you by watching the boy?"  
  
Marik looked away. "Yes. Perhaps you are right. But do you know why Yugi Motou is so important to my plan?"  
  
"No, master."  
  
"This is why," said Marik, and with one fluid motion removed the clothing that covered his back, revealing it to Eve.  
  
Eve gasped. Then she looked around the chamber. It was empty, but if someone was to come into the chamber at that point, more than a few questions would be asked.  
  
"Are those. . . tattoos?" asked Eve.  
  
"Yes. I received these as part of the Tombkeeper's Initiation."  
  
"But. . . you were twelve!"  
  
"Yes, I was. I had to undergo such pain at such a young age, and do you know why?" asked Marik, his voice rising with anger.  
  
"No, master."  
  
"I was forced to wear these because of the pharaoh! Because of Yami! And do you know what has happened to Yami?! Where he is?!"  
  
Eve nodded. "With Yugi, his vessel."]  
  
*  
  
The memory of when Eve first saw the marks of Marik's back was painful. At least in the beginning. But later, when he had calmed, he had allowed Eve to examine the scars.  
  
The thought of that one and only time she had touched Marik sent chills down Eve's spine.  
  
*  
  
The thought of that time also affected Marik. The way her hands had touched him, so gently, almost lovingly. Marik had never really felt something like that for a long time.  
  
And that was possibly one of the reasons why Marik was so possessive of Eve. 


	5. Seva

Chapter Five: Seva  
  
Eve sat in stony silence as Marik dispatched one of his Rare Hunters on another mission. She was once again in her long white dress, and this piece of clothing felt more natural than those she had been wearing back at her home.  
  
But that place was not home to her any more.  
  
Home is where the heart is.  
  
And her heart was with Marik.  
  
As the Rare Hunter left, Eve felt a presence in her mind. She looked up at Marik, but it was not him who was doing this to her.  
  
"Hello again, Eve."  
  
"What do you want?" asked Eve mentally. She had had a lot of practice doing this at school, so she could make it look as though nothing was happening, and that she was just thinking.  
  
"I have an offer for you, Eve."  
  
"Tell me who you are first."  
  
"As you wish. My name is Seva."  
  
"That is not really helping," thought Eve.  
  
"Deal with it," ordered the voice - Seva. "I want you to pass on a little message for me to Marik."  
  
"No!"  
  
"If you do not, I will have to force you to do that. And I can assure you, it will not be pleasant. For you, or for Marik."  
  
"What is it you want me to tell my master?" asked Eve, not willing to hurt Marik.  
  
"Just this," said Seva, and proceeded to tell Eve what she wanted her to do.  
  
"No! I will not tell him that!"  
  
"Then I will make you. After all, mind control is a wonderful thing. I'm sure your dear Marik knows that."  
  
Eve's mind was swiftly overpowered by threats against Marik. These threats were accompanied by very graphic images of Marik, and in all of them Marik was in pain.  
  
"Marik!" said Seva, through Eve. "I want to tell you something." Seva stood up.  
  
"What?!" demanded Marik, annoyed.  
  
"Oh, nothing. I was just wondering if you wished to join me in my plan to take over the world, that's all."  
  
"What?!" repeated Marik.  
  
"You see, there's no point in two evils doing it when they could join forces and become the greatest evil the world has ever known."  
  
"What?"  
  
"But, hey, if you're going to be like that, I'm sure I could find somebody else," said Seva.  
  
"Why would I want to join you?!" demanded Marik. "You are MY servant, not the other way around!"  
  
"Well, no matter what, I'm going to rule."  
  
This was far too much for Marik to handle. He rose from his chair, and struck Eve.  
  
She tumbled to the ground, and Seva released her.  
  
Marik raised his Millennium Rod, and pointed it at Eve. By this time she had regained consciousness, and was staring straight at Marik. "Please! Master! Spare me!"  
  
"She's right, you know," said a voice, a real one, unlike the one in Eve's head.  
  
Marik looked around. "Who are you?! Where are you?!"  
  
"Ask Eve."  
  
"Where is she?!" demanded Marik, grabbing Eve by the throat. "Tell me!"  
  
"On the surface," gasped Eve.  
  
Marik ran from the chamber, and to the surface.  
  
"Now do you see?" asked Seva. "He never cared about you the way you do about him."  
  
Eve nodded. She saw exactly what Seva meant.  
  
* "Hello, Marik," said the voice. "I am Seva."  
  
"Show yourself!"  
  
"As you wish. Look behind you."  
  
Marik did so, and saw a young woman, no, a girl, sitting on a slab of rock. "Seva!" he hissed.  
  
"Such a loyal servant you have there, Marik," said Seva. "It is a pity she does not know the real reason why you wanted her on your side. I know about her powers."  
  
"Powers? She has none!"  
  
"You lie, Marik, you lie. You don't even care about her! You just want to use her!"  
  
"Now you lie!"  
  
"You just want to keep her in the darkness," said Seva. "You want to punish her for your own suffering. I will give her freedom if she joins me."  
  
"She will never! She is mine! I control her! Mind, body and soul!"  
  
"No, you do not!" cried a voice. It was Eve. There were tears in her eyes as she walked towards the two arguers. "Is it true, Marik? Please, tell me you care, that you need me."  
  
"I need no one!" answered Marik.  
  
"Look at him, Eve," said Seva. "He does not respect you. He does not even know the true reason why you are so loyal to him, why you are the only one with that much loyalty."  
  
"You are absolutely right, Seva," said Eve, touching her cheek, which was swelling up from where Marik had hit her. "He knows nothing."  
  
Seva smiled. "I'm glad you understand that. Now, it is time to join me in my plan to take control of the world. I could use someone as smart as you. I need a new general, anyways."  
  
"Come back!" ordered Marik.  
  
"Oh, look at that," mocked Seva. "The master needs his slave, he has become so dependent on her. You might even say he l-"  
  
"Silence!" shouted Marik. "You know nothing!"  
  
"I know everything," replied Seva calmly. "You have no power, Marik. Eve is the one with the power. You may claim lineage from the Ancient Egyptians, but Eve can trace hers back a long way, too. Why do you think you were so drawn to her, why you sensed power from her? She enchanted you, Marik! She has bewitched you!"  
  
The air was filled with silence as the three people just stared at each other. Eve looked very lost between Seva and Marik. Then she remembered something that Odion had said to her one day.  
  
'It looks as if Akhenaton has found his Nefertiti.'  
  
"Well," whispered Eve, "this Nefertiti is going free."  
  
"What?!" asked Seva.  
  
"I am not serving you, Seva. You are just a coward, and a thief! You threatened to hurt Marik, and that is how you could control me! Well, not anymore!"  
  
"Oh, I can hurt Marik, just you wait and see!" screeched Seva.  
  
Suddenly, up came a sandstorm, surrounding Marik and Eve. When it subsided, Seva was gone. 


	6. Still A Good Girl

Queen of Random: I'll bet some of you are wondering, 'Who are Akhenaton and Nefertiti?'. Well, Akhenaton was an Egyptian pharaoh, and Nefertiti was his queen. Together they established a new order of religion, which worshipped the Aton, the sun god, which was often represented as a disk. Akhenaton reigned from about 1350 to 1334 BC (and so it is about 1500 years after Yami's time, if you were debating whether or not to do the Math!), and was the last important ruler of the 18th dynasty.  
  
How do I know this? Well, there is a reason why I am actually going to study Archaeology at university, when I go there. I am actually hoping to specialise in Mythology, but that's a little way off yet. And no, I am not going to bring back the Millennium Puzzle for anyone! (A friend has already asked me that!) Do you think they would let me out of the country with something like that? And anyway, I am going to have enough trouble getting Marik out of there!  
  
Speaking of Marik, did you know his last name, Ishtar, is actually the name of a Babylonian goddess? Ishtar was the Great Mother goddess, the goddess of fertility and the queen of heaven. However, she was also a very destructive goddess, wreaking havoc on many of her lovers - just like Marik in this story! (Okay, Eve was not his lover, but he did hit her!) Anyway, the whole 'My-surname-is-actually-the-name-of-a-Babylonian-goddess-so-I'm- really-just-an-evil-blonde-guy-living-in-Egypt' thing actually explains why he is so screwed up. I mean, if you were a guy, and you had a girl's name for a last name, wouldn't you be a bit mad too?  
  
Chapter Six: Still a Good Girl.  
  
"I will no longer be your servant, Marik," said Eve.  
  
"But, Eve," he began.  
  
Eve smiled sadly. "That is the first time you have ever said my name to me. And that will be the last time I will hear you say it, too." Eve looked to the sun, which was setting in the distance. "Seva was right about one thing, though. She did know the true reason why I was so loyal to you. But even so, I cannot help you in your quest. Yugi thinks I'm a friend, and I cannot hurt him. I'm sorry, Marik, but I must go home. To my real home."  
  
Mark said nothing, not even when Eve did something she had been wanting to do for what seemed like an eternity.  
  
She leaned up, wrapped a gentle hand around his neck, and kissed him. She kissed him with a kiss that would have to suffice for a thousand kisses. She was so lost in the kiss that she did not feel Marik react, wrapping his arms tightly around her, and kiss her back.  
  
Finally, she managed to break away, and said the one sentence she had longing to say for so long. "I love you, Marik."  
  
And then she ran off into the sunset, not knowing if Marik said anything else.  
  
*  
  
Eve had heard about the Battle City Tournament from Yugi's grandfather. She had kept her promise to show everyone her photos of Egypt.  
  
She just neglected to mention everything else that had happened.  
  
She was adjusting to being a normal girl again, but of course, she was not.  
  
She would never truly forget Marik.  
  
Nor would she ever want to.  
  
*  
  
When she left the game shop, she saw a man on the corner of the street, watching her. When she caught his eye, he gave her a slight bow, and took off. She knew who he was; a Rare Hunter. And he was not the first one she had seen in town, either.  
  
Every time she saw a Rare Hunter, she would look down at her hand, and at the gold ring she still wore on her finger. It had the Millennium Symbol engraved on it, and it had been a gift from Marik. But it did not mean that she still served him. Unlike the Rare Hunters she had been seeing.  
  
*  
  
Marik was angry.  
  
That made two things he had lost to the pharaoh.  
  
And he was going to do whatever it took to get them both back.  
  
Whatever it took.  
  
*  
  
The increasing presence of Rare Hunters in town for the Battle City Tournament meant only one thing.  
  
Eve's former master was coming.  
  
But was she going to warn the Pharaoh? Was she going to interfere?  
  
No.  
  
After all, Eve Sandler was, and would always be, a good girl. 


End file.
